Brass bore brushes

[hortonstn]

Will brass bore brushes hurt a match grade barrel?

[Dennis Glazener]

Will brass bore brushes hurt a match grade barrel?

No they will not, I have used them for years and no problems at all.
Dennis

[MuskratMike]

As have I. I tried the nylon ones with only marginal success.

[smylee grouch]

I have never used a brass brush but I had a bronze brush come apart on me many years ago. I was lucky and had a cleaning patch around the brush when I pushed it down the bore and it created enuf of a seal so I could pop it out with a bunch of 4f through the vent. I stopped using bronze brushes.

[bob in the woods]

I'm wondering why you would need to use one ?   

[Daryl]

Many modern bench rest shooters today, will not use them for fear of harming their 4140 and 4150 or Stainless 416 match barrels.
I cannot "see" nor understand any reason for their use in our ML barrels, even though our barrels are likely much softer and prone to
any adverse reactions to misuse, if indeed, the use of bronze brushes is misuse. I stopped using bronze brushes back in the 70's in
my modern match barrels as well. I was capable of understanding and accepting on faith, that the "experts" in the field of competition
who were willing to share their learned knowledge were not steering me/us asunder.

[Daryl]

When cleaning my smoothbore after a trip to the range, I use a tornado brush sparingly.

I had to use one of those tornado brushes to clean the melted plastic from the bore of a 12.
Never again and I learned to put a buffer wad between the black powder and the plastic wad.
problem solved. I did see scratches from that brush, which is stainless steel, which is softer than
the bore material, but the brush scratched it, none the less.

[martin9]

I remember on the other forum they were arguing about this very thing.....pages of back and forth on it. I had a Jaeger almost done and polished all the metal armory bright. I took a pretty big brass brush...... 16 gauge or thereabouts and scrubbed it across a flat on the barrel, left to right vigorously for 30 or so seconds so an easy 100 times back and forth. I wiped the barrel off and couldn't find a scratch on it. This was on a Rice barrel. I use em' and will continue to after that experiment. 

[martin9]

That being said I don't use them all that much as black powder cleans up so easily with water. I use em' most if I shoot one evening and plan on shooting the next day. I won't clean the rifle between shooting sessions in those instances and like the brush to knock out some of the fouling that hardened overnight.

[hortonstn]

Thanks for your info

[MuskratMike]

When i clean my bore, I first plug the vent and then fill and drain the barrel 2 or 3 times. By then the water comes out fairly clear. I then run a brush down the barrel just a couple of strokes. I then plug and refill the barrel with tepid water. When I drain the barrel what comes out is almost as dirty as the first couple of times. I believe it really helps get the final residue out and saves on cleaning patches without harming the bore.
Again this is how I do it, if you don't want to use a bore brush then don't. Many ways to skin a cat as they say.

[Daryl]

All my barrels are cleaned with the breech in a bucket of cool to cold water, using one patch on the rod for cleaning and 4 or 5 for drying.
No need for a brush at any time. The water and patch gets them perfectly clean.

[Prairie dog shooter]

I use phosphor-bronze brushes in my match grade custom rifles and my muzzleloaders when they need it.  My muzzleloaders don't need brushes very often.  The centerfire rifles need them for the copper jacket fouling.  I would not use a brush made of steel but anything softer than steel will not harm your barrel. 

[Daryl]

In your most humble opinion, Prairie dog shooter.  In the most humble opinion of guys who shoot bench rest competition, many will not put anything buy a nylon brush through their bores.
The nylon is to carry the solvent only.

Perhaps a good case in point.  Perhaps you could check with the guys who have been winning the monthly mail in matches & see if they use or need to use the bronze brushes for cleaning.
One has said he does, sometimes, wonder what the others do? We are now starting the 3rd year of these matches.

[hortonstn]

I'm trying to remove teflon residu from a benchrest rifle I don't use a brush either just wondering if a brush would hurt . I'm open to a simple method but don't think water will work.

[smylee grouch]

hortonstn: I shot light bench and bench and x-stix for several years using teflon patching and did not notice any buildup in my rifles. I'm not saying there wasnt any there just that I didnt notice any. When shooting Teflon I clean between shots all the time. I only used room temp water to clean between shots and for final clean up. I was shooting an 10/1000 oversized ball with 20/1000 teflon coated patch through a false muzzle so it was a good snug fit.

[Dennis Glazener]

Many modern bench rest shooters today, will not use them for fear of harming their 4140 and 4150 or Stainless 416 match barrels.
I cannot "see" nor understand any reason for their use in our ML barrels, even though our barrels are likely much softer and prone to
any adverse reactions to misuse, if indeed, the use of bronze brushes is misuse. I stopped using bronze brushes back in the 70's in
my modern match barrels as well. I was capable of understanding and accepting on faith, that the "experts" in the field of competition
who were willing to share their learned knowledge were not steering me/us asunder.

Maybe things have changed but I shot benchrest matches  up and down the eastern US, back in the 1970's and 80's, everyone used brass/bronze brushes. Do not recall every seeing any other kind being used. Barrels were often bore scoped and never revealed any brush damage. Now flexing of cleaning rods in bore, even with bore guides showed bore damage. Often wiping out a land from constant cleaning with a flexing cleaning rod.
Dennis

[bob in the woods]

I have no need for a brush bronze or nylon. My rifle cleans up easily with only water. Then a patch with WD40 and if it won't be fired for a while, bear oil.  My smoothbores are the ones that can have the most fouling, especially with paper cartridges , but my last shot is taken with a soaking wet patch and ball and that gets rid of most of it. Then it's just water etc as for the rifle.
It really doesn't take that long.

[Prairie dog shooter]

I think the solvents used in centerfire barrels to remove copper will melt a plastic brush. 
I will use plastic brushes to remove black powder fouling from nooks and crannies where a patch can't reach.  Soap and water won't hurt them.

Bench rest shooters are a peculiar bunch.  Some will not use Kroil oil anywhere near their rifle and some swear it's the best bore cleaner in existence.

I believe rifle barrels are most often damaged by improper use of the cleaning rods or use of an improper cleaning rod.  I can tell if a person is a serious shooter or not when I see their cleaning rods.

Correct use of a bronze brush won't scratch steel. 

So many different opinions of cleaning methods among seriously competitive shooters is why I follow the suggestions of the makers of the match barrels I use.  My thinking is, I will be on the same page as the barrel maker should problems arise down the road.  At least they can't blame my cleaning method for the problem.   

[Scota4570]

The bigger issue is guys putting new brass brush down a ML and not being able to pull it back out.  They then pull hard and it stays in the barrel.   For many shooters that is a big problem to resolve.   

[Daryl]

Maybe things have changed but I shot benchrest matches  up and down the eastern US, back in the 1970's and 80's, everyone used brass/bronze brushes. Do not recall every seeing any other kind being used. Barrels were often bore scoped and never revealed any brush damage. Now flexing of cleaning rods in bore, even with bore guides showed bore damage. Often wiping out a land from constant cleaning with a flexing cleaning rod.
Dennis

By 1996, those cleaning methods had changed, Dennis.  Yes- everyone back in the 70's used bronze brushes and even into the 80's.

[Daryl]

I think the solvents used in centerfire barrels to remove copper will melt a plastic brush. 
So many different opinions of cleaning methods among seriously competitive shooters is why I follow the suggestions of the makers of the match barrels I use.  My thinking is, I will be on the same page as the barrel maker should problems arise down the road.  At least they can't blame my cleaning method for the problem.

None that I have used melt nylon brushes as that is exactly what the nylon brushes are designed for.

[Mike from OK]

I can count the number of times I have used a phosphor bronze brush in a muzzleloader on one hand. Patches and jags do the trick nicely... But to each his own.

My modern centerfire guns are a different story that I won't go into here... But for my method of cleaning they are indispensable however they are used in a careful, precise method.

That's as close to skirting forum rules as I will get on the subject.

Mike

[Tim Crosby]

All my barrels are cleaned with the breech in a bucket of cool to cold water, using one patch on the rod for cleaning and 4 or 5 for drying.
No need for a brush at any time. The water and patch gets them perfectly clean.

 Daryl, ever had a problem with accuracy with taking the barrel out after shooting? I'm thinking tang screw to tight or loose, pins or wedges out of wack. Just wondering

  Tim

[Daryl]

No Tim - I have not experienced accuracy changes in any manner, in any of my guns. The 2 flinter rifles are my only guns without hooked breeches, but with pins,
and tang screws, I have not experienced any such problems.  The screws are resecured identically each time.